In a polymer composite, a strong interaction, such as a hydrogen or covalent bond, is often desired between a particle filler and the polymer material within the composite. However, this strong bonding causes a significant premature rise in viscosity as the particle filler begins to bond with the polymer material in the composite before the particle filler can be sufficiently dispersed within the composite. The increase in viscosity heightens the difficulty of processing the polymer composite. In addition, the functionality on the particle filler that causes a strong particle-polymer interaction can often simultaneously cause a strong particle-particle interaction which leads to particle agglomeration and heightens the difficulty of processing the polymer composite due to an inability to adequately disperse the particles in the polymer.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved method of processing composites.